Year 11 - 2024/2025: And relax! Support Thread for the summer holidays.

[QueenMabby]

New thread to carry us all through the summer as we transition from dealing with stressed teens to dealing with bored teens!

@Whoooo so sorry re taster day - what didn't she like - had there been things she liked before that she now doesn't? Do you think it's salvageable?

@rosemarble your DS and his GF are adorably coordinated. Fab colour!

DD2 is back after the usual marathon - symphony orchestra/speech day/service/ lunch/four hour drive with all her stuff. Always leaves me feeling a little drained as it's not at all what I'm used to with school and quite emotive.

She's pleased to be home and is already playing the piano. Her prize, it turns out, was for music. Ordinarily this would not be surprising to me, but at a music school it perhaps is! She is very pleased with her £20 book token anyway.

looking forward to a summer of having her home!

@achangeofnameisasgoodasarest
I think its a few things tbh.
She felt like it was just like being at school (?)
She didn't like the taster lessons - they weren't what she thought they'd be like (?)
She said the other kids weren't very friendly.
And they are now but doing one of her subject choices (!)
All in all, very underwhelmed by it. I think they've overpromised - there were a few disappointed kids.
I think - possibly - a levels aren't for her...shes very bright but is desperate to leave "school"
I also think that the 2 year btec is more to her strengths (shes got a predicted 9 in art)
We'll see. Takes the pressure off re: maths though!

@OhCrumbsWhereNow
Thank you.
She's been accepted onto a 2 year btec (pending grades)
And wait listed for a 6th form for a levels.
I'm exhausted with it all tbh 😖

@Whoooo- what a shame for your dd I hope the btec route is more to her taste.

dd is off with her friends today for their post-gcse holiday. They’re going by themselves to a seaside town about 3 hours away. All very exciting. They have an itinerary planned which just seems to include a lot of brunch!

End of year minor annoyance, got a generic email from school saying that "Your child has not returned XYZ textbook so please bring it back or you will be charged for it"

So I went and asked DC, obviously the last thing they want to think about now is school textbooks, got a whole lot of eye-rolling and grumbling and begrudging performative pretend-searching of their rooms. DD1 swears blind she handed the textbook back weeks ago, DD2 swears blind she never got given said textbook in the first place. Both seem to be cross with me for asking.

I think I'm just going to email school back and say "Send me the bill because it's less painful than talking to my own children" 😓

@Poisoningpigeons
My older dds school accused her of keeping an award trophy 🏆
She definitely took it back because I dropped her at school with it!
She was very annoyed

@Poisoningpigeons
we would throw money at that to be fair unless the possible retrieval was relatively painless

Prom photos don’t look so good for the boys. Loving the girls dresses. We took Ds to his prom on Thurs. I walked ahead as there was a huge queue to get dropped off, I watched all the dc’s arriving in various vehicles like sports cars (like Ds in ours) tractors, a horse, a jeep, a scramble bike, vintage cars etc. I enjoyed watching.

So the prom is done. 2 A level taster days done. Now Ds had nothing on until school re starts. He will spend most of the time in his room, I’ll try to persuade him out on some dog walks. Ds2 has arrived home from a uni year abroad in Australia and ds1 is also home, he has been travelling the best part of 2 years. It’s the first time they’ve all been home since Jan. 2023.
so a full house for us.

I feel like today has been my first chance to stop running around like a headless chicken since the exams finished.

Our end of exams/birthday party went well, but it was a really hot and ridiculously humid day, which made managing the food more tricky and labour intensive.

Since then we have been catching up on medical and dental appointments and dd had the taster day at her school sixth form followed by prom and the after party at our house.

She really enjoyed the taster day, but got really upset when she arrived home, as she’s convinced she won’t get the maths grade she needs. She spoke to the head of sixth form on the day and they said, if she gets a 4 and there is space in her classes they will waitlist her, but no guarantees she will get in. Ultimately the taster day convinced her she wants to do A Levels, rather than Drama (which is what she has accepted as her reserve college) so she has put in a late application to another local sixth form, that only wants a 4 in maths and has been waitlisted for a late interview there.

Dd looked beautiful for her prom, but doesn’t want me to post her photo. Dh and I had to stand for over an hour waiting for her car to get to the front of the queue for the red carpet walk and photos, which wasn’t great, as by then I was in a lot of pain and really struggled to put together the after party before they came home.

They arrived back at 11.30, changed into their comfy clothes and vegged out playing MarioKart. I laid on drinks, treats, an ice-cream bar and added some crudite, melon and strawberries for good measure. Amazingly all of the healthy food was eaten! Apparently they were all desperate for something fresh after the ‘beige food’ buffet they were served at the prom. Last girl left at 1.45 am and dd’s best friend slept over, as they both had to be at school for 8.30 next morning for production rehearsals.

Actually dd has been back in school full-time all week, including all weekend, rehearsing for production and has another full week of rehearsals to go. She is exhausted and loosing her voice, which isn’t ideal, but thankfully still having fun.

@SilverSnaffles
I know what you mean!
Prom was funeral but 1am finish.
Dd has been really busy since last Sunday with her hobby group/event then another 1am finish last night .
We are going on holiday in 10 days and I've done nothing to prepare 😬
Dd says she feels relieved she "only" needs a 4 for maths now.

Prom was fun
😬🙄😁

I am so glad you clarified as was wondering what on earth funeral meant in term speech whether it was bad or good!

😁 yes, I thought I should clarify
My phone makes some very odd auto corrections 🤔

ican I love your ds's outfit, I love seeing boys (young men) in suits.

Back from Turkey, had a great time, hotel (TUI Blue) was superb, best holiday we've ever had.

Just picked up ds1 from Notts Uni. Both ds1 and ds2 plan on doing zilch this week!

My DS had such a great time at prom as did all his friends. Was so lovely seeing them so excited as they didn't have a Y6 prom.

I have bought shirts and trousers for 6th Form. However, DS thought it best I keep the receipt and not to buy the blazer or shoes yet, in case he doesn't scrape enough to get in. Hmm seems to be a recurring theme now - I think he is genuinely doubting his results. I think he needs 5 x 5 or above. There is no real plan B. Such a long wait to be put out of our misery.

Loving all the dresses and suits. Such stylish 16 year olds. I think had we had a proms in the 80s, they would have been full of puffball skirts and pixie boots.

IcanbewhatIwant don't know why, I thought of the film Kingsman when I saw your wonderful photo. So smart.

How is everyone?

onto back up 6th form induction days here - then that’s it academically until results day

happy ratty - it’s a good back up apparently but he’s not been offered a place as such - so not sure why he has been given two induction days

maths teacher said he shone in the maths class after car journey there being reminded “I should get the grades” worry (well there is nothing you can do about it now is there sunshine) teenagers!

Dd is relaxing after a very busy week last week.
Older dd back tomorrow from bfs.
I really need to get organised for our holiday 😩

Another first in this house for me - sat with DS while he wrote his first CV . I expected to write it to be honest but actually had very little need to input- he did it pretty well himself . Kid is more capable than I give him credit for ! Fingers crossed that it leads to the little ‘job’ he’s applied for

🤞

Me and DS are away in Lanzarote. We are not the only parent with slightly awkward teenager making the most of getting away during term time!
It is truly lovely to unwind (all inclusive) and he’s good company.

We really liked Lanzo last year.

Glad to hear DC are relaxing - and some DPs too.
DD is now in the US, at coding camp: 85 people working in one room! She says the USA is noisy.

Dd had her last hobby group meet up until September.
She seems ok and looking forward to the next event.
She's busy crafting and making plans with friends.
Older dd is home and making up for lost time by seeing friends, bf, going to the gym, planning weekends away.
Oh, to be young again! 😁

DD2 probably wishes we were in Lanzarote. Or at a coding camp. After last year's South Italy trip, which was very, very hot and she got a bit weird about sand (it's a sensory thing apparently) we've gone further north and east this year.

So we've done Berlin (loved it) and now taken the train to Prague. It's a lot more culture and walking than beaches and not that warm.

Feel like I've had the whole of the GCSE history syllabus (and the A-Level one) downloaded at me in Berlin though and I suspect we're getting the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution this morning. Had no idea my children knew so much about germany and the cold war.

We have brought NO instruments. DD2 is just about coping. Even her main instrumental teacher reckoned two weeks off was wise - though DD did consider packing an emergency harmonica in case the withdrawal was too much. We had to go and look at the Berlin Philharmonie building, the concert hall, visit a classical concert and spend time at a piano in Berlin station though.@whoooo sounds like you have a plan. I think it is difficult thinking about the next stage for them when they are so exhausted from this and it is all uncertain as they don't know results.

Dd is currently on her girls trip. Seems to be having a good time. They’ve even been swimming in the sea! She’s home tomorrow.